There is a good article by Andrew 7 reviewing the Hot Ice Show at Blackpool at this site
http://blackpoolaloud.org.uk/2010/08/25/hot-ice-show-review/ AFTER GETTING hooked on ITV’s popular series ‘Dancing On Ice’ in the last few years, I was delighted to hear that Hot Ice was returning to Blackpool Pleasure Beach after being cancelled last year. However, that happiness soon turned to disapointment when I learned that it would not run through the illuminations – the time of my annual holiday! However, when I later decided to come to Blackpool for a weekend in August, I just HAD to see the show. So, I booked a ticket for August 7th, and here are some of my thoughts on the show…
This was only my second time at the ice show, and my first since getting the ‘ice bug’, so I enjoyed it far more than last time. I arrived early and waited at the nice bar area at the Arena entrance, before going to buy some refreshments. These were a bit pricey, but that’s to be expected at most shows and I thought that the souvenir programme on sale was very good value for money, as it is full of superb pictures.
Moving on to the actual show itself, and the introduction was maybe a bit drawn-out for my liking, but what really annoyed me was that it took ages for the skaters to come on – and when they did, I had to get up and move my coat for some late arrivals, so I didn’t see it properly! Oh well, that wasn’t the show’s fault! Right from the word go though, the show is visually stunning with some awesome lighting, good use of layers and of course, plenty of extravagent costumes. This year feathers seem to be a recurring theme: look out in particular for the peacock girls – if you’ve seen the Hot Ice posters for this year then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect.
As I’m sure anyone who’s seen Hot Ice before will expect, the quality of skating is absolutely superb. The men are astonishingly fast and some of what they do leaves the audiences open-mouthed, and whilst some might say that the female skaters get the easy job as they get lifted a lot, they deserve just as much credit as they get themselves into some positions that just don’t look possible whilst they are being carried around the ice! They all look beautiful as they cover the whole rink with grace, speed and agility. My personal favourites were Barbara Maros-Zenezini from Hungary, and Alona Kokhanevych from the Ukriane, but the whole cast are amazing. The fact that some of the greatest skaters on the planet have been assembled from about a dozen different countries really shows.
I was impressed that all the skaters take it in turns to take the limelight, proving that there isn’t a weak link at all in this cast. There were a couple of minor slip-ups, but in a strange way I liked that as it made the skaters seem more human – and when they then get straight up again and carry on better than ever, the cheers get even louder. It was also nice that for certain routines, the cast come right up to the barrier so if you get near the front and you’re lucky, you might get a bit of interaction.
One of my favourite additions to the show are actually nothing to do with ice skating at all. A Russian gymnast called Alexey Kofanov and Hungarian circus artist Balazs Foldvary add a whole new dimension to the spectacle, with their amazing aerial displays. One particularly impressive routine sees a man rise from out of a bath tub in the middle of the ice rink – I won’t spoil it too much, but it’s definitely a highlight of the show. Anyone who misses the excellent Eclipse and Forbidden shows once held at the Globe theatre should enjoy these guys, and I’d suggest that it’s worth going just to see them.
The finale sees the ice rink transformed into a ballroom with all of the skaters coming back onto the ice in their evening suits and gowns as appropriate – and watch out for when the ladies appear; I knew it was coming, but I didn’t work out where they would come from! This last routine ends with each of the skaters taking their turn for a well-deserved applause. Maybe I’m biased, but I thought the men got far bigger applause than the women – I tried my best to redress the balance, but there’s only so much that one man can do!
That wasn’t quite the end though, as I decided to hang around at the bar area in the arena to try and get my show programme signed by some of the stars, and sure enough a few of them came out. They were all really lovely and happy to talk to fans as well as giving out autographs; this made my night extra special and I can’t thank all the skaters who I met that night enough, they really made my day and I went away with a huge smile on my face, feeling so lucky to have met such talented people and got to praise them for their incredible performances.
Hot Ice is an absolutely brilliant show which is sure to delight people of all ages, and the 2010 production is truly stunning in every single way. Just one comment though – the matinee shows are only about half the length of the evening shows. If you watch the short show you’ll end up wanting more, so if you want to go… take my advice and go in the evening!!!
DJ Tim Westwood has revealed his plans to get into training after being contacted by Dancing On Ice bosses inviting him on to the next series.